Sponsored by
Henry saw resort as northern stronghold, historic map reveals
SCARBOROUGH played a key part in Henry VIII's defence against invasion, a recently unearthed map reveals.
A town plan, drawn around 1539, has been found among thousands of documents in British Library archives.
The map shows the coastal town's fortifications and reveals that a cannon was installed within the castle walls.
The permanent presence of the cannon, a fairly new military advance at the time, suggests that Scarborough was a key stronghold against invaders from France and Spain.
The map came to light when the British Library was preparing an exhibition on Henry VIII to mark the 500th anniversary of his accession to the throne.
English Heritage events manager Jon Hogan said: "It was a chance find – there must be thousands of documents that are not on public display, but this one really does tell us a lot more about how Henry VIII perceived Scarborough as a northern stronghold.
"At this time, maps and plans of locations were relatively rare, and would only be done to assess a site's importance."
He said the fact that the cannon was on the map suggested it was a permanent fixture at a time when Henry was known to be diverting his military resources to fortifications on the south coast.
Visitors to Scarborough Castle will get a chance to see – and hear – how the cannons would have sounded at a Tudor event this weekend.
Mr Hogan said: "The sound of the cannons will reverberate around the North and South bays as the gunners engage in a spot of target practice - although without real cannon balls of course!"
Email to a friend
Print this page- Three-inch blanket of snow heading our way today
- Barnsley’s Keith Hill invokes Fawlty Towers over link with Leeds job
- Alan Shearer in list of favourites for Leeds and England jobs: Latest odds
- McCormack feels United search can be narrowed down
- Redfearn throws down gauntlet as queue builds at Elland Road
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Yorkshire
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -9 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: -2 C to -1 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South
